Star Map

Star Map (2014) is an electroacoustic piece for flute and quadraphonic playback that is inspired by the Forsyth Petroglyph, a rock with carvings that was first discovered in Forsyth County, Georgia in the early 1800s. The carvings consist of circles and other designs that are thought to be astronomical in nature, representing the constellations Draco, Scorpio, and a fragmenting comet. A comet event occurred around 3300 BC, and the carvings may represent this event due to the presence of other symbols that could be interpreted as the Cosmic Crocodile from Mayan mythology, which was decapitated, leading to a massive flood. The comet impact of 3300 BC caused tsunamis that destroyed coastal civilizations of the time.

The piece is in three sections: the first features the constellations Scorpio, Draco and Sagittarius, and more specifically, the red giant star Antares in the Scorpio constellation (evoked by the drones and flute centered around the pitches B and C) and x-ray flares sent out by the constellation Sagittarius. The second section illustrates the comet breaking into fragments, and the manipulated recorded flute signifies our perspective of time. The third section returns to the environment of constellations from the first section.